Potting plants in different pot and flat sizes is a time-consuming operation for commercial plant nurseries. It is therefore desirable to automate the process while retaining a high degree of adaptability to accommodate different sizes of plant receptacles. A number of plant potting machines are known which employ conveyor systems to move pots into position to receive soil and a soil distribution system comprising a hopper and either belts or buckets to move the dirt; examples include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,826,003, 2,884,022, 3,587,675, and 3,782,033.
The prior art potting machines discussed above are all fairly complex, fully automated and expensive machines which produce a certain-sized pot filled with soil, which in some cases is partially excavated to receive a plant. The limitations inherent in such machines are their lack of adaptability for various-sized pots, their complexity, their size, and their expense.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a semiautomatic soil distribution apparatus that continuously provides soil to a working surface and transports pots in close proximity to the working surface so that soil may be readily manually scooped into the pots.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a semiautomatic soil distribution apparatus for filling pots which uses a conveyor system that has the dual purposes of transporting pots past a working surface and transporting spilled soil to a soil return hopper where the soil is collected prior to being transported back into a main hopper and thereby recycled.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a conveyor system for use in such a semiautomatic soil distribution system which is adjustable horizontally and vertically relative to a flat working surface so that the apparatus may be adapted to a range of sizes and shapes of pots and flats.
The foregoing and other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.